Distraction - Sherlock Fanfiction

"Oh For Fu-"

Beth's new phone buzzed in her coat pocket, she had just put it on after finishing work. Beth fumbled her hand to fish out her phone to see that she had received a text. From Sherlock Holmes.

China Town.
Café opposite Lucky Cat.
Come quick.
SH

Beth walked down the busy street of China Town, to her right she could see 'The Lucky Cat' just down the road. She walked faster to get to her destination but must not have been looking when she bumped into someone at the door of the Café.

"Ah, Beth. Just on time." Sherlock had caught her by the shoulders then twisted her around so the she was walking forwards.

"What are you doing?" She asked the tall man.

"I want to check something."

"Sherlock! I was eating." John whined following behind.

On the other side of the road Sherlock knelt down and checked a 'yellow pages' book. It was damp from the rain due to the plastic wrapper being partly opened.

"It's been here since Monday." Sherlock clarified straightening up, then pressing the doorbell.

Beth looked at the door expecting it to open but then sighed when it didn't. Sherlock strutted around the corner of the building down an alleyway.

"No-one's been in that flat for at least three days."

"Could've gone on holiday."

"D'you leave your windows open when you go on holiday?"

"She could have stayed at someone's house? A boyfriend?" Beth suggested then watched as Sherlock jumped to pull down the steps to a fire exit.

"Would you leave your windows open?" Sherlock looked at her with raised eyebrows holding the ladder.

"No, but maybe she isn't as cautious?"

"It's not likely." Sherlock jogged up the ladder. John made a move to follow behind but it swung shut before he could even lift a foot.

"Sherlock!" He turned back around to walk back to the front of the building.

Beth looked at John and then back at the ladder and realized that she was tall enough to jump up to it.

John turned at the loud noise the ladder made and saw his sister run up, "Oh, for fu-"

Climbing through the window she was stopped by Sherlock who was holding a vase of flowers that Beth thought he must of knocked over.

"Someone else has been here." He called out, loud enough so John could hear, "Somebody else broke into the flat and knocked over the vase just like I did."

Looking around the flat, Beth couldn't see anything visibly wrong but she had no doubt that Sherlock could.

John rang the doorbell, "D'you think you could let me in?"

Beth doesn't go to let John in this time, instead, she walked over a rug that looked like it had got caught on a shoe.

"Sherlock." She warned

Sherlock looked down to the rug, "Size eight feet. Small, but ... athletic." He straightened back up and picked up a picture frame, he tilted it towards Beth so she could see the messy fingerprints left on it. "Small, strong hands."

Sherlock stopped and then looked around frowning, "why didn't he close the window when he left?" His face then changed to realization, "Oh, stupid. Stupid. Obvious."